Fur language

The Fur language (or For; Fur: ''bèle fòòr'' or ''fòòraŋ bèle''; ar, فوراوي, ''Fûrâwî''; sometimes called Konjara by linguists, after a former ruling clan) is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Fur of Darfur in Western Sudan. It is part of a broader family of languages known as the Fur languages.

Phonology

The consonantal phonemes are:

All sounds are spelt with their IPA symbols except for the following: ''j'' = , ''ñ'' = and ''y'' = . Arabic consonants are sometimes used in loanwords.

The vowels are as in Latin: ''a e i o u''. There is dispute as to whether the –ATR vowels are phonetic variants or separate phonemes.

There are two underlying tonemes, ''L'' (low) and ''H'' (high); phonetically, ''L'', ''H'', ''mid'', ''HL'', and ''LH'' are all found.

Metathesis is an extremely common and regular grammatical phenomenon in Fur: when a consonant pronoun prefix is prefixed to a verb that begins with a consonant, either the verb's first consonant is deleted or it changes places with the following vowel; e.g.: ''lem-'' "lick" → ''-elm-''; ''ba-'' "drink" → ''-ab-''; ''tuum-'' "build" → ''-utum-''. There are also various assimilation rules.

Morphology

Plurals

Noun, and optionally adjective, plurals can be formed with ''-a'' (''-ŋa'' after vowels): ''aldí'' "story" → ''aldíŋá'' "stories", ''tóŋ'' "(a certain species of) antelope" → ''pira'' "antelopes"; ''piraŋa'' "old" → ''tooy'báiná'' "old (pl.)". This suffix also gives the inanimate 3rd person plural of the verb: ''liíŋ'' "he bathes" → ''liíŋá'' "they (inanimate) bathe", ''káliŋa'' "they (animate) bathe".

Vowel-final adjectives can take a plural in ''-lá'', as well as ''-ŋa'': ''lúllá'' "cold" → ''lúllála'' or ''lúlláŋa'' "cold (pl.)". A similar suffix (metathesized and assimilated to become ''-ól/-úl/-ál'') is used for the plural of the verb in some tenses.

A few CVV nouns take the plural suffix H''-ta''; ''roo'' "river" → ''roota'wala gal rooŋa'' "rivers"; ''ra̱yi' wala gal ra̱y'' "field" → ''rǎ̱ytó'wala gal rǎ̱ytá'' "fields".

At least two nouns take the suffix -i: ''kóór'' "spear" → ''kóórí'' "spears", ''dʉ́tʉ'' "mouse" → ''kʉ́ʉ́tɨ́'' "mice".

Nouns with the singular prefix ''d-'' (> ''n-'' before a nasal) take the plural ''k-''; these are about 20% of all nouns. In some cases (mostly body parts) it is accompanied by L; e.g.: ''dɨ́ló'' "ear" → ''kɨ́ló'' "ears"; ''nʉ́ŋɨ́'' "eye" → ''kʉ́ŋɨ́'' "eyes"; ''dági'' "tooth" → ''kagi'' "teeth"; ''dormí'' "nose" → ''kormi'' "noses".
*In some cases the singular also has a suffix ''-ŋ'', not found in the plural: ''daulaŋ'' "shoe" → ''kaula'' "shoes", ''dɨróŋ'' "egg" → ''kɨro'' "eggs".
*Sometimes a further plural suffix from those listed above is added: ''nʉ́nʉm'' "granary" → ''kʉ́nʉ́ma'' "granaries", ''nʉ́ʉ́m'' "snake" → ''kʉ́ʉ́mɨ́'' "snakes", ''dɨwwô'' "new" → ''kɨwwóla'wala gal 'kɨwwóŋa'' "new (pl.)"
*Sometimes the suffix ''-(n)ta'', is added: ''dewer'' "porcupine" → ''kewértá'' "porcupines"; ''da̱wi'' "tail" → ''ka̱wíntó'wala gal ka̱wíntá'' "tails".
*One noun, as well as the demonstratives and the interrogative "which", take a plural by simply prefixing ''k-''L: ''úú'' "cow" → ''kuu'' "cows"; ''á̱yɨ'' "which (one)?" → ''ká̱yɨ'' "which (ones)?".
*Several syntactic plurals with no singulars, mostly denoting liquids, have ''k-''L-''a''; ''kewa'' "blood", ''koro'' "water", ''kona'' "name, song" ''koonà''.

Nouns

The locative case can be expressed by the suffix ''-le'' or by reversing the noun's final tone, e.g.: ''tòŋ'' "house" → ''toŋ'' "at the house"; ''loo'' "place", ''kàrrà'' "far" → ''loo kàrrà-le'' "at a far place".

The genitive (English possessive s) is expressed by the suffix ''-iŋ'' (the ''i'' is deleted after a vowel.) If the relationship is possessive, the possessor comes first; otherwise, it comes last; e.g.: ''nuum'' "snake" → ''nuumiŋ tàbù'' "snake's head"; ''jùtà'' "forest" → ''kàrabà jùtăŋ'' "animals of the forest".

Pronouns

Independent subject:

The object pronouns are identical apart from being low tone and having -ŋó added to the plural forms.

Prefixed subject pronouns:

Thus, for example, on the verb ''bʉo-'' "tire":

''gi'', described as the "participant object pronoun", represents first or second person objects in a dialogue, depending on context.

Possessives (singular; take k- with plural nouns):

Verbs

The Fur verbal system is quite complicated; verbs fall into a variety of conjugations. There are three tenses: present, perfect, and future. Subjunctive is also marked. Aspect is distinguished in the past tense.

Derivational suffixes include ''-iŋ'' (intransitive/reflexive; e.g. ''lii'' "he washes" → ''liiŋ'' "he washes himself) and gemination of the middle consonant plus ''-à/ò'' (intensive; e.g. ''jabi'' "drop" → ''jappiò/jabbiò'' "throw down".)

Negation is done with the marker ''a-...-bà'' surrounding the verb; ''a-bai-bà'' "he does not drink".

Adjectives

Most adjectives have two syllables, and a geminate middle consonant: e.g. ''àppa'' "big", ''fùkka'' "red", ''lecka'' "sweet". Some have three syllables: ''dàkkure'' "solid".

Adverbs can be derived from adjectives by addition of the suffix ''-ndì'' or L''-n'', e.g.: ''kùlle'' "fast" → ''kùllendì'' or ''kùllèn'' "quickly".

Abstract nouns can be derived from adjectives by adding ''-iŋ'' and lowering all tones, deleting any final vowel of the adjective, e.g.: ''dìrro'' "heavy" → ''dìrrìŋ'' "heaviness".

Media in Fur language

Radio Dabanga - broadcasts daily news in the Fur language and in other languages local to Darfur.

References

Sources

* Beaton, A.C. ''A Grammar of the Fur Language''. Linguistic Monograph Series, No. 1. Khartoum: Sudan Research Unit, Faculty of Arts, University of Khartoum 1968 (1937).
* Jakobi, Angelika. ''A Fur Grammar''. Buske Verlag: Hamburg 1989.
* Kutsch-Lojenga, Constance and Christine Waag, "The Sounds and Tones of Fur", in ''Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages No. 9''. Entebbe: SIL-Sudan 2004.
* Noel, Georgianna
''An Examination of the Tone System of Fur and its Function in Grammar''
University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

{{Authority control
Fur languages
Bariwarig Tooduo, "Participant Reference". University of Juba 2014